Of course, many liquors are really no better. I've always been at a loss for how people drink Captain Morgans, and the time someone had me try tequila I declared it "awful" and later said something to the effect of "paint varnish". Monte Cartoblan or something I think it was? Terrible.
Vodka tends to just taste like alcohol (like... the difference between a fruit drink and it's associated liqueur, except by itself. Kinda a.. spiciness, I guess.), which isn't pleasant but is alright by comparison. And mixes halfways decent.
In conclusion I really wonder what sequence of events lead to the formation of alcohol production in man's earliest history, since you'd THINK it would be dismissed as deadly poison.